Methods and systems for compliance confirmation and incentives

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems are disclosed for promoting use of research devices by a plurality of research device users or by a single research device user in compliance with at least one predetermined use criterion. Methods and systems are disclosed for monitoring use by a user of a research device in accordance with at least one predetermined use criterion.

Methods and systems for monitoring use of research devices by users aredisclosed. Systems and methods are disclosed that are useful formonitoring use of research devices in accordance with predeterminedcriteria, providing incentives for compliant use thereof and/oranalyzing data relating to the use thereof.

BACKGROUND

Research operations are conducted by establishing a panel ofparticipants, often referred to as panelists. In some researchoperations, the panelists are provided with portable monitoring devicesto gather research data. In other research operations the panelists' ownportable devices are employed to gather research data. In either case,the panelists are instructed to carry the portable devices with themduring the day for gathering research data, such as data indicatingexposure to media and/or other market research data.

Those who pay to use such market research data want to be assured thatthe data is reliable. In particular, if the portable monitor was notactually carried about by a panelist during the day, whatever data hasbeen collected by the portable monitor does not reflect the experienceof a panelist. Accordingly, those who pay for use of such research datawant reasonable assurances from the research organization that theportable monitors used to gather the data have actually been carriedabout by individuals or at least accompany individuals during the timesthat research data is collected by such monitors.

Arbitron Inc., which pioneered the use of portable monitors forgathering research data, has developed and implemented techniques toprovide such assurances to those who license its research data. Suchtechniques are the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,276 issued Jan. 9,1996 in the names of Brooks, et al., which is owned by the assignee ofthe present application and is hereby incorporated herein by referencein its entirety.

DISCLOSURE

For this application, the following terms and definitions shall apply:

The term “data” as used herein means any indicia, signals, marks,symbols, domains, symbol sets, representations, and any other physicalform or forms representing information, whether permanent or temporary,whether visible, audible, acoustic, electric, magnetic, electromagneticor otherwise manifested. The term “data” as used to representpredetermined information in one physical form shall be deemed toencompass any and all representations of corresponding information in adifferent physical form or forms.

The terms “media data” and “media” as used herein mean data which iswidely accessible, whether over-the-air, or via cable, satellite,network, internetwork (including the Internet), print, displayed,distributed on storage media, or by any other means or technique that ishumanly perceptible, without regard to the form or content of such data,and including but not limited to audio, video, audio/video, text,images, animations, databases, broadcasts, displays (including but notlimited to video displays, posters and billboards), signs, signals, webpages, print media and streaming media data.

The term “research data” as used herein means data comprising (1) dataconcerning usage of media, (2) data concerning exposure to media, and/or(3) market research data.

The term “presentation data” as used herein shall mean media data,content other than media data or a message to be presented to a user.

The term “database” as used herein means an organized body of relateddata, regardless of the manner in which the data or the organized bodythereof is represented. For example, the organized body of related datamay be in the form of a table, a map, a grid, a packet, a datagram, aframe, a file, an e-mail, a message, a document, a list or in any otherform.

The term “correlate” as used herein means a process of ascertaining arelationship between or among data, including but not limited to anidentity relationship, a correspondence or other relationship of suchdata to further data, inclusion in a dataset, exclusion from a dataset,a predefined mathematical relationship between or among the data and/orto further data, and the existence of a common aspect between or amongthe data.

The terms “purchase” and “purchasing” as used herein mean a process ofobtaining title, a license, possession or other right in or to goods orservices in exchange for consideration, whether payment of money, barteror other legally sufficient consideration, or as promotional samples. Asused herein, the term “goods” and “services” include, but are notlimited to, data and rights in or to data.

The term “network” as used herein includes both networks andinternetworks of all kinds, including the Internet, and is not limitedto any particular network or inter-network.

The terms “first,” “second,” “primary,” and “secondary” are used hereinto distinguish one element, set, data, object, step, process, function,activity or thing from another, and are not used to designate relativeposition, arrangement in time or relative importance, unless otherwisestated explicitly.

The terms “coupled”, “coupled to”, and “coupled with” as used hereineach mean a relationship between or among two or more devices,apparatus, files, circuits, elements, functions, operations, processes,programs, media, components, networks, systems, subsystems, and/ormeans, constituting any one or more of (a) a connection, whether director through one or more other devices, apparatus, files, circuits,elements, functions, operations, processes, programs, media, components,networks, systems, subsystems, or means, (b) a communicationsrelationship, whether direct or through one or more other devices,apparatus, files, circuits, elements, functions, operations, processes,programs, media, components, networks, systems, subsystems, or means,and/or (c) a functional relationship in which the operation of any oneor more devices, apparatus, files, circuits, elements, functions,operations, processes, programs, media, components, networks, systems,subsystems, or means depends, in whole or in part, on the operation ofany one or more others thereof.

The terms “communicate” and “communicating” as used herein include bothconveying data from a source to a destination, and delivering data to acommunications medium, system, channel, network, device, wire, cable,fiber, circuit, and/or link to be conveyed to a destination. The term“communications” as used herein includes one or more of a communicationsmedium, system, channel, network, device, wire, cable, fiber, circuitand link.

The term “message” as used herein includes data to be communicated, incommunication or which has been communicated.

The term “processor” as used herein means processing devices, apparatus,programs, circuits, components, systems and subsystems, whetherimplemented in hardware, software or both, and whether or notprogrammable. The term “processor” as used herein includes, but is notlimited to one or more computers, hardwired circuits, signal modifyingdevices and systems, devices and machines for controlling systems,central processing units, programmable devices and systems, fieldprogrammable gate arrays, application specific integrated circuits,systems on a chip, systems comprised of discrete elements and/orcircuits, state machines, virtual machines, data processors, processingfacilities and combinations of any of the foregoing.

The terms “storage” and “data storage” as used herein mean data storagedevices, apparatus, programs, circuits, components, systems, subsystemsand storage media serving to retain data, whether on a temporary orpermanent basis, and to provide such retained data.

The terms “panelist,” “panel member” and “participant” areinterchangeably used herein to refer to a person who is, knowingly orunknowingly, participating in a study to gather information, whether byelectronic, survey or other means, about that person's activity.

The term “household” as used herein is to be broadly construed toinclude family members, a family living at the same residence, a groupof persons related or unrelated to one another living at the sameresidence, and a group of persons (of which the total number ofunrelated persons does not exceed a predetermined number) living withina common facility, such as a fraternity house, an apartment or othersimilar structure or arrangement.

The term “activity” as used herein includes, but is not limited to,purchasing conduct, shopping habits, viewing habits, computer, Internetusage, exposure to media, personal attitudes, awareness, opinions andbeliefs, as well as other forms of activity discussed herein.

The term “portable user appliance” (also referred to herein, forconvenience, by the abbreviation “PUA”) as used herein means anelectrical or non-electrical device capable of being carried by or onthe person of a user or capable of being disposed on or in, or held by,a physical object (e.g., attaché, purse) capable of being carried by oron the user, and having at least one function of primary benefit to suchuser, including without limitation, a cellular telephone, a personaldigital assistant (“PDA”), a Blackberry® a device, a radio, atelevision, a game system (e.g., a Gameboy® device), a notebookcomputer, a laptop computer, a GPS device, a personal audio device(e.g., an MP3 player), a DVD player, a two-way radio, a personalcommunications device, a telematics device, a remote control device, awireless headset, a wristwatch, a portable data storage device (e.g.,Thumb™ drive), a camera, a recorder, a keyless entry device, a ring, acomb, a pen, a pencil, a notebook, a wallet, a tool, a flashlight, animplement, a pair of glasses, an article of clothing, a belt, a beltbuckle, a fob, an article of jewelry, an ornamental article, a pair ofshoes or other foot garment (e.g., sandals), a jacket, and a hat, aswell as any devices combining any of the foregoing or their functions.

The term “research device” as used herein shall mean (1) a portable userappliance configured or otherwise enabled to gather, store and/orcommunicate research data, or to cooperate with other devices to gather,store and/or communicate research data, and/or (2) a research datagathering, storing and/or communicating device.

The term “user-beneficial function” as used herein shall mean a functioninitiated or carried out by a person with the use of a PUA, whichfunction is of primary benefit to that person.

A method of promoting use of portable research devices by a plurality ofportable research device users in compliance with at least onepredetermined use criterion comprises producing level data representingrelative compliance levels of each of a plurality of portable researchdevice users; and communicating a message to each of the plurality ofusers indicating the user's compliance relative to others of theplurality of portable research device users.

A system for promoting use of portable research devices by a pluralityof portable research device users in compliance with at least onepredetermined use criterion comprises a processor operative to producelevel data representing relative compliance levels of each of aplurality of portable research device users; and communications coupledwith the processor to receive the level data and operative tocommunicate a message to each of the plurality of users indicating theuser's compliance relative to others of the plurality of portableresearch device users based on the level data.

A method of monitoring use by a user of a portable research device inaccordance with at least one predetermined use criterion comprisescommunicating a request message to the portable research device, therequest message requesting a response from the user of the portableresearch device; receiving a response message communicated from theportable research device in response to the request message; andproducing compliance data indicating that the user has partiallycomplied with the predetermined use criterion.

A system for monitoring use by a user of a portable research device inaccordance with at least one predetermined use criterion comprisescommunications operative to communicate a request message to theportable research device, the request message requesting a response fromthe user of the portable research device; the communications beingoperative to receive a response message communicated from the portableresearch device in response to the request message; and a processorcoupled with the communications to receive the response message and toproduce compliance data indicating that the user has partially compliedwith the predetermined use criterion.

A method of promoting use of a portable research device by a user incompliance with at least one predetermined use criterion comprisesproducing compliance data for a plurality of different times indicatingwhether the portable research device is being used in compliance withthe at least one predetermined use criterion; producing level datarepresenting a level of compliance by the user based on the compliancedata; and communicating a message to the user indicating a level ofcompliance of the user based on the level data.

A system for promoting use of a portable research device by a user incompliance with at least one predetermined use criterion comprises aprocessor operative to produce compliance data for a plurality ofdifferent times indicating whether the portable research device is beingused in compliance with the at least one predetermined use criterion andto produce level data representing a level of compliance by the userbased on the compliance data; and communications operative tocommunicate a message to the user indicating a level of compliance ofthe user based on the level data.

Certain embodiments of the methods and systems are presented in thefollowing disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1A illustrates various monitoring systems that include a portableuser appliance (“PUA”) used by a user and configured to operate as aresearch device;

FIG. 1B is a block diagram showing certain details of the monitoringsystems of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C is a block diagram showing the monitoring systems of FIG. 1Aincluding a PUA coupled with a docking station;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are flow diagrams illustrating actions by the monitoringsystems of FIGS. 1A-1C which actively monitor use of the PUA;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are flow diagrams illustrating actions by the monitoringsystems of FIGS. 1A-1C which passively monitor use of the PUA;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating actions by the monitoring systemsof FIGS. 1A-1C which actively and passively monitor use of the PUA;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating actions by the monitoring systemsof FIGS. 1A-1C which determine compliance for a plurality of differenttimes;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a cellular telephone configured to operateas a research device; and

FIG. 6A is a functional block diagram for use in explaining certainembodiments involving the use of the cellular telephone of FIG. 6.

Numerous types of research operations carried out with the use ofresearch devices are possible, including, without limitation, televisionand radio program audience measurement; exposure to advertising invarious media, such as television, radio, print and outdoor advertising,among others; consumer spending habits; consumer shopping habitsincluding the particular retail stores and other locations visitedduring shopping and recreational activities; travel patterns, such asthe particular routes taken between home and work, and other locations;consumer attitudes, beliefs, awareness and preferences; and so on. Forthe desired type of media and/or market research operation to beconducted, particular activity of individuals is monitored. In researchoperations research data relating to two or more of the foregoing aregathered, while in others only one kind of such data is gathered.

Various monitoring techniques are suitable. For example, televisionviewing or radio listening habits, including exposure to commercialstherein, are monitored utilizing a variety of techniques. In certaintechniques, acoustic energy to which an individual is exposed ismonitored to produce data which identifies or characterizes a program,song, station, channel, commercial, etc. that is being watched orlistened to by the individual. Where audio media includes ancillarycodes that provide such information, suitable decoding techniques areemployed to detect the encoded information, such as those disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 5,450,490 and No. 5,764,763 to Jensen, et al., U.S. Pat.No. 5,579,124 to Aijala, et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,574,962, 5,581,800 and5,787,334 to Fardeau, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,871,180 to Neuhauser, etal., U.S. Pat. No. 6,862,355 to Kolessar, et al. issued Mar. 1, 2005 andU.S. Pat. No. 6,845,360 to Jensen, et al., issued Jan. 18, 2005, each ofwhich is assigned to the assignee of the present application and all ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

In some cases a signature is extracted from transduced media data foridentification by matching with reference signatures of known mediadata. Suitable techniques for this purpose include those disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 5,612,729 to Ellis, et al. and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,398to Thomas, et al., each of which is assigned to the assignee of thepresent application and both of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entireties.

Moreover, techniques involving the active participation of the panelmembers may be used in research operations. For example, surveys may beemployed where a panel member is asked questions utilizing the panelmember's research device after recruitment. Thus, it is to be understoodthat both the exemplary types of research data to be gathered discussedherein and the exemplary manners of gathering research data as discussedherein are only illustrative and that other types of research data maybe gathered and that other techniques for gathering research data may beemployed.

Certain research devices, including many disclosed in the patents andapplications incorporated herein by reference, are intended solely foruse in conducting research operations and do not implement functions ofprimary benefit to the user. Other research devices are implemented by,in or in combination with a PUA.

Various PUA's already have capabilities sufficient to enable theimplementation of the desired monitoring technique or techniques to beemployed during the research operation to enable their use as researchdevices. As an example, cellular telephones have microphones whichconvert acoustic energy into audio data and GPS receivers fordetermining their locations. Various cellular telephones further haveprocessing and storage capabilities.

In certain embodiments, various existing PUA's are modified merely bysoftware and/or minor hardware changes to carry out a researchoperation. In certain other embodiments, PUA's are redesigned andsubstantially reconstructed for this purpose.

Various embodiments of methods and systems for monitoring use of aresearch device by one or more users are described herein below.Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic illustrationsof a monitoring system 1 that includes a PUA 2, which is used by a user3, and a processor 5. In certain embodiments otherwise corresponding tothe embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B, the PUA 2 is replaced by a researchdevice that does not comprise a PUA. The processor 5 may include one ora plurality of processors which are located together or separate fromone another disposed within or controlled by one or more organizations.As shown, the PUA 2 may be coupled to the processor 5 via communications7 which allows data to be exchanged between the PUA 2 and the processor5. In certain embodiments, the PUA 2 is wirelessly coupled viacommunications 7 to the processor 5.

In some embodiments, the monitoring system 1 also includes storage 6 forstoring data including, but not limited to, data received and/orprocessed by the central processor 5. In certain embodiments storage 6includes one or more storage units located together or separate from oneanother at the same or different locations. In certain embodimentsstorage 6 is included with processor 5.

FIG. 1B is a more detailed illustration of an embodiment of themonitoring system 1 in which the PUA 2 is adapted to communicatewirelessly with the processor 5 using wireless communications 8. The PUA2 includes a communication interface 9 for communicating and receivingdata through communications 8. As shown, the PUA 2 also includes amessage input 11 to allow the user of the PUA 2 to input a message intothe PUA 2. The message input 11 is coupled with the communicationinterface 9 of the PUA 2, so that a message inputted using the messageinput 11 can be communicated from the PUA 2 via communications 8. It isunderstood that messages inputted using the message input 11 may becommunicated to the processor 5, or to another PUA 2, or to anotherlocation or device coupled with communications 8. In the illustrativeembodiment shown in FIG. 1B, the message input 11 comprises a pluralityof keys 11 a in the form of a keypad. However, the configuration of themessage input 11 may vary, such that, for example, the message input 11may comprise one or more of a key, a button, a switch, a keyboard, amicrophone, a video camera, a touch pad, an accelerometer, a motiondetector, a touch screen, a tablet, a scroll-and-click wheel or thelike.

In the illustrative configuration shown in FIG. 1B, the PUA 2 alsocomprises a sensor or a detector 13 for detecting one or moreparameters. The parameter or parameters detected by the sensor/detector13 include, but are not limited to, the remaining power capacity of thePUA 2, one or more of a user's biometric functions or parameters, alocation of the PUA 2, a change in location of the PUA 2, data input tothe PUA by the user, sounds external to the PUA 2, motion of the PUA 2,pressure being applied to the PUA 2, or an impact of the PUA 2 withanother object. In certain embodiments, sensor/detector 13 detects apresence indication signal or a personal identification signal emittedby a signal emitter 14 carried in or on the person of the user. Incertain ones of these embodiments, the signal emitter 14 comprises adevice worn or carried by the user, such as a ring, a necklace, or otherarticle of jewelry, a wristwatch, a key fob, or article of clothing thatemits a predetermined signal indicating a user's presence or theidentity of the user wearing or carrying the device. The signal may beemitted as an acoustic signal, an RF or other electromagnetic signal, ora chemical signal that sensor/detector 13 is operative to receive, or anelectrical signal. In certain embodiments, the signal emitter 14comprises a device implanted in the user, such as under the user's skin.In certain embodiments, the sensor/detector 13 includes a plurality ofsensors or detectors each for detecting one or more of a plurality ofparameters.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the sensor/detector 13 is coupled with thecommunications interface 9 of the PUA 2 so that data produced as aresult of the sensing or detecting performed by the sensor/detector 13can be communicated from the PUA 2 to the processor 5. Although the PUA2 shown in FIG. 1B includes both the message input 11 and thesensor/detector 13, it is understood that in other embodiments, one ofthese elements may be omitted depending on the design of the PUA 2 andthe requirements of the monitoring system 1.

As in FIG. 1A, the illustrative configuration of the monitoring system 1shown in FIG. 1B includes storage 6 coupled or included with theprocessor 5 to store data, including data received and/or processed bythe processor 5. Data stored in storage 6 can also be retrieved by theprocessor 5 when needed.

The PUA 2 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B may be supplied with power from anA/C power source or other power supply, or using one or more batteriesor other on-board power source (not shown for purposes of simplicity andclarity). It is understood that batteries used to supply power to thePUA 2 may include any type of batteries, whether rechargeable or not,that are suitable for use with the particular PUA 2. In certainembodiments, the PUA 2 receives power from rechargeable batteries oranother kind of rechargeable power supply, such as a capacitor, and/orfrom a radiant energy converter, such as a photoelectric powerconverter, or a mechanical energy converter, such as a microelectricgenerator. In certain embodiments, the PUA 2 is connected with a dockingstation from time to time, which is used for charging the PUA 2 and/ortransmitting data stored in the PUA 2 to the processor 5. FIG. 1C showsan embodiment of the PUA 2 used with the docking station 15. The dockingstation 15, which is typically not carried by the user and not coupledwith the PUA 2 while the PUA is being carried by the user, is adapted tocouple with the PUA 2 via a coupling 16. The coupling 16 can be a directconnection between the PUA 2 and the docking station 15 to allowrecharging of the PUA 2 and/or communication of data between the PUA 2and the docking station 15. In certain embodiments, data is communicatedfrom the PUA to the docking station by a wireless infra-red, RF,capacitive or inductive link. In certain embodiments, data iscommunicated from the PUA 2 to the processor 5 by cellular telephonelink or other wired or wireless network or device coupling.

As shown in FIG. 1C, in certain embodiments the docking station isconnected to a power supply 17 to provide power for charging the PUA 2when the PUA 2 is coupled with the docking station 15. In addition, incertain embodiments the docking station 15 includes a communicationinterface 19 adapted to communicate with the processor 5 throughcommunications 7. When the PUA 2 is coupled with the docking station 15via the coupling 16, data stored in the PUA 2, such as data collected bythe PUA 2 when it was carried by the user, is transferred to the dockingstation 15 using the coupling 16 and thereafter communicated using thecommunication interface 19 to the processor 5 through communications 7.In these embodiments, the use of the docking station 15, rather than thePUA 2, to communicate to the processor 5 data collected by the PUA 2enables conservation of power by the PUA 2 or the use of an internalpower supply having a relatively low power capacity. In certainembodiments, the docking station 15 is also used to receive data fromthe processor 5 via communications 7, and to transfer the received datafrom the docking station 15 to the PUA 2 via the coupling 16 when thePUA 2 is coupled with the docking station 15.

As can be appreciated, the configuration of the docking station 15 isnot limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 1C and may vary from oneembodiment to another. For example, in certain embodiments, the dockingstation is used only for charging the PUA 2 and does not include acommunication interface 19. In such embodiments, the docking station 15is implemented variously as a cradle receiving the PUA 2 or as astandard AC-to DC converter, like a cellular telephone charger. In otherembodiments, the docking station 15 is used only for communication ofdata between the PUA 2 and the processor 5 and does not charge the PUA2. In such embodiments, the PUA 2 may be connected to a power supply,separate from the docking station 15, for charging, or charged using aninternal power converter, or by replacing one or more batteries.

In certain embodiments, the PUA 2 shown in FIGS. 1A-1C optionallyincludes an output (not shown for purposes of simplicity and clarity)for outputting a message to the user. The output can be in the form of adisplay for displaying text, or one or more symbols and/or images, aspeaker or earphone for outputting a voicemail or a voice message, orone or more LED's or lamps for indicating a message to the user. It isunderstood that the output or outputs are not limited to the examplesprovided herein and can comprise any suitable output or outputs adaptedto provide a message to the user.

The monitoring system 1 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B is used for monitoringuse by a user of the PUA 2 in accordance with at least one predetermineduse criterion. The at least one predetermined use criterion comprisesone or more of the following criteria: that the PUA 2 is being carriedand/or used, that the PUA 2 is being carried and/or used by a specificuser, that the PUA 2 is turned “on,” that the PUA 2 is charged, that thePUA 2 maintains a minimum power capacity, that the PUA 2 is, or hasbeen, docked at, or connected with, the docking station 15 for apredetermined length of time, at certain times or during a predeterminedtime period, that the PUA is functioning properly to provide a benefitto the user, and that the PUA 2 is capable of collecting, storing and/orcommunicating research data, or of cooperating with one or more otherdevices to do so. Other predetermined use criteria not mentioned abovemay also be employed in monitoring the PUA's use.

In certain embodiments, the method of monitoring use by a user of aresearch device such as PUA 2 in accordance with at least onepredetermined use criterion comprises communicating a request message tothe research device, requesting a response from the user of the PUA,receiving a response message communicated from the research device inresponse to the request message, and storing data indicating a level ofthe user's compliance therewith. This monitoring method is illustratedin more detail in FIG. 2A, which shows a block diagram of the actionsperformed by the monitoring systems shown in FIGS. 1A-1C.

As shown in FIG. 2A, a request message is first communicated 100 to aPUA having a two-way communication capability with a remotely-locatedprocessor, such as processor 5 of FIGS. 1A-1C, requesting a responsefrom a user of the PUA. In certain embodiments, the request messagecomprises a text message, a telephone call, a voice mail, an e-mail, avoice message, a sound, a plurality of sounds, a web page, an image, alight alert, or a combination thereof, or any other data presented tothe user via the PUA which indicates to the user that a response isbeing requested. The request message is presented to the user using anappropriate output (for example, a sound reproducing device, such as aspeaker or earphone) if the message is a telephone call, a voice mail, avoice message, a sound or a plurality of sounds; a visual display, ifthe message is a text message, an e-mail, a web page or another image;and/or one or more light emitting devices (for example, LED's or lamps)if the message is a light alert. In certain embodiments, the requestmessage requests a pre-determined response from the PUA user, or a moregeneral response such as a response that acknowledges receipt of therequest message. In certain embodiments, the request is accompanied bydata of interest to the user, such as access to certain web sites orcontent, such as music, video, news, or electronic coupons. In certainones of such embodiments, access to such data is conditioned onproviding the requested response according to parameters expressed inthe request message or otherwise predetermined. In certain embodiments,the processor is implemented as one or more programmable processorsrunning a communications management program module serving to controlcommunications with the PUA and/or its user, along with other PUA's, torequest a response including data from which compliance can be assessed.In certain ones of such embodiments, such communications are scheduledin advance by the programming module with or without reference to adatabase storing schedule data representing a schedule of suchcommunications, and carried out thereby automatically by means ofcommunications 7. In certain ones of such embodiments, suchcommunications are scheduled in advance and notified to human operatorswho initiate calls to the PUA's and/or the PUA's users according to theschedule, to solicit data from which compliance can be assessed. Incertain ones of such embodiments, both automatic communications andhuman-initiated communications as described above are carried out.

In response to the request message, a response message is generated 102in the PUA. In certain embodiments, the response message is generated byinputting the response message by an action of the user using themessage input of the PUA. In particular, in certain embodiments in whichthe response message comprises a code, including letter characters,number characters or symbols, or a combination thereof, the responsemessage is generated using the message input of the PUA. Alternatively,the response message comprises data stored in the PUA, in which case,the response message is generated by selecting the stored data using themessage input. In other embodiments, the response message is a responsesignal generated by activating the message input, such as, for example,by switching one or more switches or by pressing one or more buttons ofthe message input. Where the response message comprises one or moreaudible sounds, the response message is generated by inputting thesounds using the message input. In such embodiments, the message inputcomprises an audio input device, such as an acoustic transducer. Asmentioned above, the response message can be generated in response to arequest for a pre-determined response, or in response to a request for amore general response.

After the response message is generated in the PUA, the response messageis communicated from the PUA through communications thereof and isreceived 104 in the remotely-located processor, such as processor 5. Incertain embodiments, such communications comprises cellular telephonecommunications, PCS communications, wireless networking communications,satellite communications, or a Bluetooth, ZigBee, electro-optical orother wireless link. In certain embodiments, such communicationscomprises as Ethernet interface, a telephone modem, a USB port, aFirewire connection, a cable modem, an audio or video connection, orother network or device interface. When the response message from thePUA is received, or a predetermined time period passes without receivingthe response message, the processor provides data indicating whether theuse of the PUA is in compliance with at least one predeterminedcriterion and/or the level of the user's compliance. The data providedby the processor is then stored 106 by the processor. In certainembodiments, the processor provides data indicating a user's complianceand/or the level of a user's compliance based on whether or not theresponse message from the PUA was received. In other embodiments, theprocessor provides compliance and/or level of compliance data based onthe content of the response message, and/or the length of time passedbefore the response message from the PUA is received, and/or otherfactors discussed in more detail herein below. In certain embodimentsthe processor is implemented as one or more programmable processorsrunning a compliance analysis program module which receives the datareturned by the PUA and/or the user of the PUA to the communicationsmanagement program module and serves to analyze the compliance of theuser based on such data and in accordance with compliance rules storedin a storage, such as storage 6 of FIGS. 1A-1C. Based on such analysis,the compliance analysis program module produces compliance dataindicating whether the user complied with the predetermined use criteriaand/or a level of such compliance.

In certain embodiments, a reward may be provided to a user when theuser's use of the PUA is in compliance with the predetermined usecriteria or when the user's level of compliance is above a pre-selectedcompliance level. The reward may be in the form of cash, credit, a prizeor a benefit, such as a free service or points usable to make purchasesor receive prizes, either by means of the PUA or through a differentmeans or service. In certain ones of such embodiments, the rewardcomprises data of interest to the user, such as access to certain websites or content, such as music, video, news, or electronic coupons. Asshown in FIG. 2A, when data indicating compliance or a level ofcompliance above a pre-selected compliance level is produced and/orstored, a reward to the user is determined 108. The reward to the user,including the type of the reward and/or an amount or quality of thereward, is determined by the processor of the monitoring system based onthe stored data indicating user's compliance or the level of user'scompliance. Where the reward is determined based on the level of theuser's compliance, in certain embodiments the reward is provided to theuser if the user's level of compliance is higher than a predeterminedlevel and/or the type and/or the amount of the reward determined in 108is varied as the level of the user's compliance increases or decreases.For instance, in certain embodiments a number of points awarded to theuser that may be used to purchase goods or services, is greater wherethe user responds to a larger percentage of request messages, or isincreased as the number of request messages that the user responds toincreases.

Providing rewards to PUA users for use of the PUA in compliance with thepredetermined use criteria provides an incentive for the users to complywith the use requirements so as to earn a reward or to earn a higherreward. Therefore, providing a reward to the PUA user for the correctuse of the PUA also promotes correct use of the PUA in the future inaccordance with the predetermined usage criterion or criteria.

In certain embodiments, the monitoring system also communicates amessage to the PUA user indicating the level of compliance with thepredetermined use criteria for the PUA and/or the reward earned by theuser 110. The message communicated to the user can be in the form of atext message, a telephone call, a voice mail, a voice message, ane-mail, an image or a combination thereof communicated via the PUA orotherwise. In some embodiments, the message can be in form of a lightindication, such as by lighting up an LED or lamp to indicate whetherthe use of the PUA is in compliance or whether a reward has been earnedby the user. As shown in FIG. 2A, the determination of the reward to theuser 108 and the communication of the message to the user 110 areoptional actions by the monitoring system in monitoring the user's useof the PUA. In some configurations, for example, the determination ofthe reward is omitted and the monitoring system proceeds tocommunicating the message to the user indicating the user's complianceand/or level of compliance. In other configurations, however, themonitoring system determines the reward to the user and automaticallyprovides the reward to the user, such as by sending the reward directlyto the user or applying the reward to the user's account, withoutcommunicating any messages to the user indicating the user's compliance,level of compliance or reward earned. In certain embodiments, where themonitoring system has determined that a user has failed to comply, itsends one or more messages to the user and/or to the user's PUA notingsuch failure, with or without further message content encouragingcompliance in the future. In certain ones of such embodiments, themessage noting failure to comply is sent in a plurality of differentforms, such as both a text message and a voice call, which can begenerated either automatically or by human intervention. In certainembodiments, the determination of a reward is made by one or moreprogrammable processors running a reward determination program modulethat receives the compliance data produced by the compliance analysisprogram module and serve to produce reward data based on stored rules,such as rules stored in storage 6, specifying what rewards (includingkind and amount), if any, to accord to the user for whom the compliancedata was produced. Based on the reward data, the communicationsmanagement program module communicates a reward notification to the PUAand/or its user, and/or communicates an order to a service (such as asupplier of goods or services, which can include content and other data)to provide the determined rewards to the user or credit an account ofthe user with such rewards.

In certain embodiments, the use of a research device is monitored bycommunicating a request message to the research device, the requestmessage requesting a response from the user of the research device,receiving a response message communicated from the research device inresponse to the request message, and determining the extent to which theuse of the research device by the user is in compliance with the atleast one predetermined use criterion. FIG. 2B illustrates thisembodiment of monitoring use of a research device, namely, a user's PUA,by the monitoring system. In certain other embodiments otherwisecorresponding to the embodiment of FIG. 2B, the user's PUA is replacedby a research device that does not comprise a PUA.

As shown in FIG. 2B at 200, a request message is sent to a PUA from amonitoring system, a response message is generated 202 in the PUA andcommunicated thereby to the monitoring system, in response to therequest message and the response message is received 204 by themonitoring system from the PUA (or its non-receipt is recorded). Theseactions performed by the monitoring system are similar to those, i.e.100, 102 and 104, described above with respect to FIG. 2A, and thereforea detailed description thereof is omitted for purposes of clarity andsimplicity. As further shown in FIG. 2B, when the response message isreceived from the PUA, the monitoring system determines 205 whether theuser's use of the PUA complies with at least one predetermined usecriterion. This determination 205 is performed by a processor of themonitoring system. As mentioned herein above, the predetermined criteriaincludes, but is not limited to, the PUA being carried, the PUA beingcarried by a specific user, the PUA being turned “on,” the PUA beingcharged, the PUA maintaining a minimum charge or power capacity, the PUAbeing docked at, or connected with, the docking station for apredetermined length and/or period of time, or at certain times, the PUAfunctioning properly and the PUA being capable of collecting, storingand/or communicating research data, or of cooperating with one or moreother devices to do so.

In certain embodiments, the determination 205 whether the use of the PUAis in compliance with the predetermined criteria is based on at leastone of the receipt or non-receipt 204 of the response message from thePUA, the time of receipt of the response message and the content of theresponse message. For example, when the determination 205 is based onthe receipt or non-receipt of the response message from the PUA, theprocessor determines that the use of the PUA is not in compliance withthe predetermined criteria if the receipt message is not received withina predetermined period of time from the sending of the request messageto the PUA in 200. In certain ones of such embodiments, a requestmessage requesting a response from the user (such as a text message orvoice prompt) is sent to the PUA at regular intervals during the day, atintervals determined according to dayparts or according to apseudorandom schedule, and the promptness of the user's response, ifany, is used to determine an amount or quality of a reward to the user.

When the determination of compliance with predetermined use criteria isbased on the time of receipt of the response message, the processordetermines how much time had elapsed between the time of sending of therequest message to the PUA and the time of receipt of the responsemessage from the PUA and compares it to a selected compliant responsetime. The compliant response time in certain embodiments is a constantduration for all users, all PUA's, all types of request messages, allplaces and all times. In certain other embodiments, the compliantresponse time is selected based on user demographics or an individualprofile. In certain embodiments, the compliant response time is based onthe type of request message and/or its contents. In certain ones of suchembodiments, the compliant response time is specified in the message,for example, “Please respond within ten minutes.” In certain embodimentsthe compliant response time is selected based on the type of PUA thatreceives it, for example, a cellular telephone or Blackberry device forwhich a relatively short response time can be expected, as compared to apersonal audio or DVD player, for which a longer response time may beappropriate. In certain embodiments, the compliant response time isselected depending on the manner in which the request message is to bepresented to the user. For example, if receipt of the message isindicated to the user by an audible alert or device vibration, a shorterresponse time can be expected than in the case of a message presentedonly visually. In certain embodiments, the compliant response time isselected based on the time of day. For example, during morning orafternoon drive time, the response time may be lengthened since the usermay not be able to respond as quickly as during the evening when theuser is at home. In certain embodiments, the compliant response time isselected based on the user's location. For example, in certain places itmay be customary to respond to messages more quickly than in others. Incertain embodiments, the compliant response time is selected based on acombination of two or more of the foregoing factors.

If the time elapsed between the sending of the request message and thereceipt of the response is less than the selected response time, it isdetermined that the user's use of the PUA is in compliance with thepre-determined criteria. However, if the elapsed time is greater thanthe selected response time, it is determined that the use of the PUA isnot in compliance with the predetermined criteria. In certainembodiments, the amount of time elapsed between the sending 200 of therequest message and the receiving 204 of the response message is used todetermine a level of the user's compliance with the predetermined usecriteria. In particular, the level of compliance determined by theprocessor will depend on how quickly the response message is received bythe processor, such that the level of compliance is greater as theamount of time elapsed between the sending 200 of the request messageand the receipt 204 of the response message is less.

When the determination whether the user's PUA use is in compliance withone or more predetermined criteria is based on the content of theresponse message, the processor determines whether the content of theresponse message complies with predetermined parameters. In suchembodiments, a selected response message, complying with predeterminedparameters, is requested 200 by the request message communicated to thePUA, and in determining compliance and/or the level of compliance, theprocessor compares the response message received 204 from the PUA withthe requested response. In one illustrative embodiment, the requestmessage communicated 200 to the PUA comprises a request for the user'spassword or for a particular code, such as a user' screen name or realname, and the response message received 204 in response to the requestmessage is compared by the processor to pre-stored data, such as apassword, code, screen name or real name stored in a database, todetermine 205 whether the use of the PUA is in compliance with thepredetermined criteria. If the received response message matches thestored message, i.e. password, a name (such as a screen name selected bythe user or the user's real name) or a code, stored in the database,then the processor determines that the user is in compliance with thepredetermined criteria. By requesting a selected response message, suchas a password, name or code, the monitoring system is capable not onlyof confirming that the PUA is being carried and/or used, but also ofconfirming that the PUA is being carried and/or used by a specific user.

In certain embodiments, in addition to or instead of other requestedinformation, the requested response comprises information from the user,such as what the user is doing when the message is received or at othertimes, the user's location or locations at various times, media orproducts to which the user has been exposed, has purchased or used, orplans to purchase or use, the user's beliefs and/or the user's opinions.In certain embodiments, in addition to or instead of other requestedinformation, the requested response comprises information concerning anoperational state of the PUA (for example, as indicated thereby or asdetermined by the user), whether and/or when the user performed someaction (such as docking or recharging the PUA), and/or whether and/orhow the user is carrying the PUA.

In certain embodiments, the processor determines 205 the level of thePUA user's compliance based on the content of the message. In thisillustrative embodiment, the response message received 204 is comparedwith stored data, such as a password, name or code stored in thedatabase, and determines the level of compliance based on how closelythe response message matches with the stored data. In certain ones ofsuch embodiments, a first, or highest, level of compliance is determinedif the response message matches the stored message, a second level ofcompliance, which is lower than the first level, is determined if theresponse message does not match the stored message, and a third, orlowest, level of compliance is determined if no response message isreceived 204 from the PUA. In some embodiments, a plurality of differentintermediate levels of compliance may be determined instead of thesecond level of compliance, if a response message is received but doesnot match the stored message. In such embodiments, the level determinedis based on the extent of similarity between the response message andthe pre-stored data. Thus, for example, the intermediate level ofcompliance will be higher in a case where the response message received204 from the PUA differs from the stored message by only one characterthan in a case where the response message received from the PUA iscompletely different from the stored message.

In certain embodiments, the user's compliance and/or level of complianceis determined not only based on the content of the response message butalso on the time of receipt of the response message. In certain ones ofsuch embodiments, the user's compliance will depend on whether theresponse message matches with the stored data, as well as on how quicklythe response message is received from the PUA. In certain ones of suchembodiments, the highest level of compliance is determined if theresponse message received from the PUA matches the stored data, and ifthe time elapsed between the sending of the request message to the PUAand the receipt of the response message is less than a selected time. Ifthe response message does not match the stored data and/or the timeelapsed between the sending of the request message and the receipt ofthe response message is greater than the selected time, then the levelof compliance determined 205 is selected at a level intermediate ahighest level of compliance and a lowest level. If no response messageis received from the PUA, then the lowest level of compliance, ornon-compliance is determined by the monitoring system.

In some embodiments, the monitoring system also determines and/orprovides 206 a reward to the user for complying with predeterminedcriteria 206 and/or sends a message to the user indicating at least oneof the user's compliance, the level of compliance and the reward to theuser 208. In particular, after the monitoring system determines whetherthe PUA use complies with the predetermined use criteria and/or thelevel of the user's compliance, the monitoring system proceeds todetermine and/or provide 206 a reward to the user of the PUA. The systemthen communicates 208 a message to the user indicating the user'scompliance, level of compliance and/or the reward earned by the user.These actions performed by the monitoring system are similar to those(106 and 108) described above with respect to FIG. 2A, and thus adetailed description thereof is omitted. As in the embodiments describedwith respect to FIG. 2A, the determination and/or provision 206 of thereward and the communication 208 of the message indicating compliance,level of compliance and/or the reward are optional. Moreover, as in theembodiments described with respect to FIG. 2A, in certain embodiments,the determination and/or provision of the reward is performed withoutcommunicating the message to the user, while in other embodiments, thecommunication 208 of the message is performed without determining and/orproviding 206 the reward.

In certain embodiments of monitoring methods and systems, the monitoringsystem monitors one or more parameters, such as biometric parameters,sounds external to a research device, an impact of the research devicewith another object, motion of the research device, proximity of theresearch device to the person of a user, proximity of the researchdevice to a presence indicator or personal identification device in oron the person of a user, pressure applied to the research device,recharging of the research device, its power capacity, docking of theresearch device, data input (e.g., messages) to the research device,location of the research device and/or changes in the research device'slocation, to determine whether the use of the research device is incompliance with at least one predetermined criterion. In oneillustrative embodiment, the monitoring system produces monitored databy monitoring at least one of a user's heart activity, a user's brainactivity, a user's breathing activity, a user's pulse, a user's bloodoxygenation, a user's borborygmus (gastrointestinal noise), a user'sgait, a user's voice, a user's key, keypad or keyboard usagecharacteristics (e.g., keystroke recognition), a user's vascularpattern, a user's facial or ear patterns, a user's signature, a user'sfingerprint, a user's handprint or hand geometry, a user's retinal oriris patterns, a user's airborne biochemical indicators (sometimesreferred to as a user's “smellprint”), a user's muscular activity, auser's body temperature, sounds external to the research device, motionof the research device, pressure applied to the research device,recharging of the research device, docking of the research device, itspower capacity, an impact of the research device with another object,data input to the research device by a user, location of the researchdevice and a change in a location of the research device, and determineswhether use of the research device by the user is in accordance with atleast one predetermined criterion based on the monitored data. Theoperations of the monitoring system in these illustrative embodiments tomonitor use of a PUA are shown in FIG. 3A. It will be appreciated thatthe embodiment of FIG. 3A is also applicable to a research device thatis not a PUA.

As shown in FIG. 3A, at least one of a biometric parameter 222,proximity of the PUA to the person of a user, proximity of the PUA to apresence indicator or personal identification device in or on the personof the user, external sounds 224, PUA location, PUA location change 226,data input 228 and impact of the PUA with another object, pressureapplied to the PUA, power capacity, motion, recharging, docking 230 aremonitored to produce monitored data. When one or more biometricparameters is monitored 222, these parameters include, but are notlimited to, one or more of the user's heart activity, the user's brainactivity, the user's breathing activity, the user's pulse, the user'sblood oxygenation, the user's borborygmus, the user's gait, the user'skey, keypad or keyboard usage characteristics, the user's voice, theuser's fingerprint, the user's handprint or hand geometry, the user'sretinal or iris patterns, the user's smellprint, a vascular pattern ofthe user, the user's facial or ear patterns, a pattern of muscleactivity of the user, the user's signature, and the user's bodytemperature.

Referring again to FIG. 1B, the monitoring of the biometric parameters222, external sounds, presence indication signal, personalidentification signal 224, PUA location, PUA location changes 226, datainput 228 and/or impact of the PUA with another object, pressure appliedto the PUA, motion of the PUA, recharging, power capacity, docking 230is performed in the PUA 2 by the sensor/detector 13 in cooperation witha processor of the PUA (not shown for purposes of simplicity andclarity). As mentioned above, the sensor/detector 13 in certainembodiments includes a plurality of sensors and/or detectors whichmonitor a plurality of parameters. In the embodiments in which thesensor/detector 13 monitors one or more biometric parameters of the PUAuser 222, the sensor/detector 13 comprises one or more of a heartmonitor for monitoring heart activity of the user, an EEG monitor formonitoring the user's brain activity, a breathing monitor for monitoringthe user's breathing activity including, but not limited to, the user'sbreathing rate, a pulse rate monitor, a pulse oximeter, a sound detectorfor monitoring the user's borborygmus and/or the user's voice, a gaitsensor and/or a gait analyzer for detecting data representing the user'sgait, such as a motion sensor or accelerometer (which may also be usedto monitor muscle activity), a video camera for use in detecting motionbased on changes to its output image signal over time, a temperaturesensor for monitoring the user's temperature, an electrode or electrodesfor picking up EKG and/or EEG signals, and a fingerprint or handprintscanner for detecting the user's fingerprint or handprint. Where theuser's retinal or iris patterns are monitored, sensor/detector 13comprises a low-intensity light source, for scanning, detecting orotherwise sensing the retinal or iris patterns of the user. Where theuser's hand geometry is detected, sensor/detector 13 comprises a deviceconfigured with an optical sensor or other imaging device to capturepredetermined parameters of the user's hand, such as hand shape, fingerlength, finger thickness, finger curvature and/or any portion thereof.Where the user's smellprint is detected, sensor/detector 13 comprises anelectronic sensor, a chemical sensor, and/or an electronic or chemicalsensor configured as an array of chemical sensors, wherein each chemicalsensor may detect a specific odorant or other biochemical indicator.Where a vascular pattern of the user is detected, sensor/detector 13comprises an optical or other radiant energy scanning or imaging devicefor detecting a vascular pattern or other tissue structure, or bloodflow or pressure characteristic of the user's hand or other body part.Where the user's facial or ear patterns are detected, thesensor/detector 13 comprises a video camera, optical scanner or otherdevice sufficient to recognize one or more facial features or one ormore features of the user's ear or other body part. In certain ones ofthese embodiments, the sensor/detector 13 is mounted in or on the PUA 2,while in others the sensor/detector 13 is arranged separately from thePUA 2 and communicates therewith via a cable or via an RF, inductive,acoustic, infrared or other wireless link.

In the embodiments in which the sensor/detector 13 of the PUA 2 monitorssounds external to the PUA 224, the sensor/detector 13 comprises anacoustic sensor such as a microphone or any other suitable sounddetector for detecting external sounds. In certain embodiments, thesensor/detector 13, which monitors external sounds, cooperates with theprocessor for analyzing the detected external sounds. The externalsounds detected by the sensor/detector 13 include, but are not limitedto, environmental noise, rubbing of the PUA 2 against the user'sclothing or other external objects, vehicle sounds (such as engine noiseand sounds characteristic of opening and closing car doors), the user'svoice print, dropping of the PUA, average ambient noise level, and thelike. In the embodiments in which sensor/detector 13 receives a presenceindication signal or personal identification signal from signal emitter14, sensor/detector 13 comprises a device operative to receive thesignal, such as an RF receiver, a microphone, an optical sensor, aninductive pickup, a capacitive pickup, a chemical sensor or a conductiveconnection.

In certain ones of the embodiments in which the sensor/detector 13monitors the user's data input 228 (e.g., messages or inputs to controla diverse operation of the PUA, such as to make use of an applicationrunning thereon, like a game), the sensor/detector 13 comprises apressure sensor for sensing pressure applied to the message input by theuser. Alternatively or in addition, the sensor/detector 13 comprises autility, such as a key logger, running on the processor of the PUA todetermine and record its usage.

In the embodiments in which location change is being monitored 226, thesensor/detector 13 directly or indirectly detects the change in thePUA's location. Direct detection of the PUA's location is accomplishedby detecting the location of the PUA and the change in PUA's locationover time. In this case, the sensor/detector 13 comprises a satellitelocation system, such as a GPS receiver, an ultra wideband locationdetector, a cellular telephone location detector, an angle of arrivallocation detector, a time difference of arrival location detector, anenhanced signal strength location detector, a location fingerprintinglocation detector, an inertial location monitor, a short range locationsignal receiver or any other suitable location detector. The same meanscan also be employed to determine the PUA's location. Indirect detectionof the PUA's location change is accomplished by detecting apredetermined parameter which is directly or indirectly related to thelocation of the PUA and determining from variations in the predeterminedparameter whether a change in the location of the PUA has occurred. Oneof such predetermined parameters detected by the sensor/detector 13 canbe variations in the strength of a RF signal received by the PUA, and insuch case, the sensor/detector 13 comprises a RF signal receiver. Wherelocation change data is available such data is used in certainembodiments to determine whether and when the PUA was or is beingcarried.

In embodiments in which the sensor/detector 13 monitors the impact ofthe PUA 2 with another object 230, the sensor/detector 13 comprises animpact detector for measuring pre-determined levels of impact of the PUA2 with other objects. In certain embodiments, the sensor/detector 13comprises an accelerometer for detecting a relatively large accelerationupon impact of the PUA 2 with another object.

In embodiments where pressure applied to the PUA is monitored, apressure sensor is placed on an enclosure of the PUA or mechanicallycoupled therewith to receive force applied to such enclosure. In certainones of such embodiments, the magnitude of the pressure as it variesover time and/or with location on the enclosure are analyzed todetermine if the PUA is being or was carried and/or the manner in whichit was used and/or the event of non-use.

In certain embodiments where motion of the PUA is monitored, a videocamera of the PUA is used as a motion sensor. In certain ones of suchembodiments, changes in the image data provided at the output of thevideo camera (either the entire image or one or more portions thereof)are processed to determine movement or an extent of movement of theimage over time to detect that the PUA is being moved about, either bytranslation or rotation. Techniques for producing motion vectorsindicating motion of an image or an extent of such motion are well knownin the art, and are used in certain embodiments herein to evaluatewhether the PUA is moving and/or the extent of such movement. In certainones of such embodiments, changes in the light intensity or colorcomposition of the image data output by the video camera (either theentire image or one or more portions thereof) over time are used todetect motion of the PUA. In certain embodiments where motion of the PUAis monitored, a light sensitive device, such as a light sensitive diodeof the PUA, is used as a motion sensor. Changes in the output of thelight sensitive device over time that characterize movement serve toindicate that the PUA is being carried.

In certain embodiments, the one or more parameters also include powerremaining in the PUA, recharging of the PUA and/or the event of dockingof the PUA by coupling the PUA with the docking station, for example, asillustrated in FIG. 1C. In such embodiments, the monitoring systemproduces monitored data by monitoring the power remaining in the PUAand/or by monitoring the docking of the PUA at the docking station. Inthe embodiments in which the docking of the PUA is monitored, themonitoring system monitors the length of time the PUA was coupled withthe docking station, the time period during which the PUA was coupledwith the docking station, a time at which the PUA is docked, a time atwhich the PUA was undocked, whether or not the PUA is coupled with thedocking station and/or the length of time passed since the PUA was lastdocked at the docking station.

The monitoring of one or more parameters 222-230 by the monitoringsystem, as described above, produces monitored data which indicates atleast whether or not the PUA was being carried and/or used in one ormore of various ways. For example, if monitoring includes monitoring oneor more biometric parameters of the user, then the monitored dataindicates at least whether or not the biometric parameters beingmonitored have been detected. Similarly, in the case of monitoring PUAlocation changes, external sounds, data input, pressure, motion, lightchanges and/or impact of the PUA with other objects, the monitored dataincludes data indicating at least whether or not any of these parametershave been detected. Monitored data that indicates that one or more ofthese parameters have been detected in the PUA, in turn, indicates thatthe PUA was being carried and/or used, while monitored data indicating alack of any detection of one or more of the monitored parametersindicates that the PUA was not being carried or used.

In certain embodiments, the monitored data produced indicates at leastwhether or not the PUA was charged and/or whether or not the PUA wasdocked at the docking station according to a predetermined timeparameter. In the case of monitoring the power charge in the PUA, themonitored data includes data indicating at least whether or not the PUAwas charged, and in certain embodiments, the monitored data indicateswhether the power capacity remaining in the PUA was greater than apredetermined minimum. Where monitoring includes monitoring of thedocking of the PUA at the docking station, the monitored data indicatesat least whether or not the PUA was docked at the docking station at anytime, and in some embodiments, the monitoring data indicates one or moreof whether or not the PUA was docked at the docking station for apredetermined length of time, how frequently the PUA was docked, whenthe PUA was docked, when the PUA was undocked and/or the time periodsduring which the PUA was docked. The monitored data produced in theseembodiments can be used to determine whether the use of the PUA was incompliance with the criteria for recharging of the PUA and/or docking ofthe PUA.

In certain embodiments, monitored data comprises data which can be usedto confirm the identity of the PUA user. For example, if one or morebiometric parameters of the user are monitored by the sensor/detector,the monitored data includes data indicating or relating to one or moreof the user's heart rate or other heart activity or parameter, EEG,blood oxygenation, breathing rate or other breathing activity orparameter, borborygmus, gait, voice, voice analysis, key, keypad orkeyboard usage characteristics, fingerprints, handprints, hand geometry,pulse, retinal or iris patterns, olfactory characteristics or otherbiochemical indicators, patterns of muscular activity, vascularpatterns, facial or ear patterns, signature, and/or body temperaturedetected once or a plurality of times over a predetermined period oftime. In certain embodiments, the user is identified by a signal fromsignal emitter 14. In another example, if the PUA location change isbeing monitored, then monitored data can include data relating to thespecific locations or changes in location of the PUA and/or relating tothe specific RF signal strengths of the PUA detected one or a pluralityof times over a predetermined period of time.

Referring now back to FIG. 3A, the monitored data produced by monitoringat least one of a user's biometric parameters, external sounds, PUAlocation or location change, data input, pressure applied to the PUA,impact of a PUA with another object, a signal from signal emitter 14,PUA motion, PUA power level, recharging and docking of the PUA at thedocking station is used to determine whether the user's use of the PUAis in compliance with the predetermined criteria and/or the user's levelof compliance 242. In certain embodiments, the determination ofcompliance and/or level of compliance is performed in the PUA by itsprocessor, while in other embodiments, the monitored data produced inthe PUA is communicated to the processor 5 via its communications andthe processor 5 then determines the user's compliance and/or level ofcompliance.

In certain embodiments, the determination of compliance and/or level ofcompliance is performed based on the detection or non-detection of oneor more monitored parameters, as indicated by monitored data, todetermine whether the PUA was carried and/or was charged at themonitoring times and/or whether the PUA was docked and/or undocked atpredetermined times or time periods. In certain embodiments in which, asmentioned above, monitored data includes more specific or extensivedata, the determination of compliance and/or level of complianceincludes not only a determination whether the PUA was carried but also aconfirmation that the PUA was carried by a specific user. In suchembodiments, the compliance determination is performed by comparing themonitored data with pre-stored data relating to the specific user todetermine whether the PUA was carried and whether the user carrying thePUA was the specific user. In particular, if the monitored datacorresponds to the stored data for the specific user, then it isdetermined that the user carrying the PUA was the specific user.However, if the monitored data does not correspond to the stored datafor the specific user, then it is determined that the user carrying thePUA was not the specific user. The determination whether the PUA use isin compliance with the predetermined criteria and/or the determinationof the level of the user's compliance is then based on thedeterminations whether the PUA was carried and whether the user carryingthe PUA was the specific user.

In certain embodiments, the PUA use is determined to be in compliancewith the predetermined criteria if it is determined that the PUA wascarried by the specific user and not in compliance if it is determinedthat the PUA was not carried. Depending on requirements of themonitoring systems and the predetermined criteria, in some embodimentsthe PUA use is determined to be in compliance, or in partial compliance,if it is determined that the PUA was carried by someone other than thespecific user. However, in other embodiments, the monitoring systemdetermines that the PUA use does not comply with the predeterminedcriteria if it is determined that the PUA was carried by someone otherthan the specific user.

With respect to the determination of the level of compliance, in certainembodiments, the highest level of compliance is determined if it isdetermined that the PUA was being carried by the specific user and thelowest level of compliance is determined if it is determined that thePUA was not carried. In certain embodiments, if the PUA was carried bysomeone other than the specific user at all or some of the monitoringtimes, then an intermediate level of compliance that is lower than thehighest level and higher than the lowest level is determined. The valueof the intermediate compliance level may depend on whether the PUA wascarried by someone other than the specific user at all or some of thetimes and the number of times that it is determined that the PUA wascarried by someone other than the specific user, if a plurality ofdeterminations are made.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the user of the PUA may optionally be rewarded forthe user's compliance with the predetermined use criteria. As discussedabove, providing a reward to the user in return for the compliant use ofthe PUA provides an incentive for the user to comply with the PUA userequirements in the future. In the embodiments where the monitoringsystem provides a reward to the user, the reward to the user isdetermined 244 after the determination of compliance and/or level ofcompliance 242 is made. The determination of the reward is based onwhether the user has complied with the predetermined use criteria and/orbased on the level of user's compliance, and can be performed in the PUAor in the processor. As mentioned above with respect to FIGS. 2A and 2B,the reward to the user can include cash, credit, points usable to makepurchases, services or other benefit to the user.

As also shown in FIG. 3A, in certain embodiments, the monitoring systemoptionally communicates a message to the PUA user indicating complianceand/or level of compliance and/or a reward earned by the user 246. Inthese embodiments, the message can be in the form of a telephone call, atext message, a voice mail, a voice message, an image, an email, a webpage, a paper notification or any other suitable indication to the user.In certain ones of such embodiments, a light is illuminated or blinks,or a sound is emitted (similar to a voice mail notification) atintervals (such as an interval from one to five minutes) to indicatecompliance or non-compliance. Where the light or sound notificationindicates non-compliance, its intensity and/or frequency increases overtime to gain the user's attention. Referring now to FIG. 1B, if thedetermination of compliance, level of compliance and/or reward isperformed by the processor of the PUA, the message indicatingcompliance, level of compliance and/or reward can be communicated to theuser by the PUA. If, on the other hand, the determination of compliance,level of compliance and/or reward is performed by the processor 5, themessage can be communicated to the PUA to provide the message to theuser, or the message can be communicated to the user by another means.

As discussed above, the determination of a reward to the user 244 andthe communication of a message to the user 246 are optional. Thus, it isunderstood that the monitoring system may perform both, none or only oneof these actions, depending on the arrangement of the PUA and therequirements of the monitoring system.

In certain other embodiments, methods and systems for monitoring use bya user of a research device comprise producing monitored data bymonitoring one or more parameters, producing identification dataidentifying the user based on the monitored data and determining, basedon the identification data, whether the research device is being used bythe user in accordance with at least one predetermined use criterion.FIG. 3B illustrates the actions performed by the monitoring system ofthis embodiment wherein the research device comprises a PUA, but it willbe appreciated the monitoring system is also applicable to embodimentsin which the research device does not comprise a PUA. In FIG. 3B,actions performed by the monitoring system similar to those illustratedin FIG. 3A are indicated by the same reference numbers as in FIG. 3A.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the monitoring system monitors at least one of auser's biometric parameter 222, external sounds, a presence indicationsignal, a personal identification signal 224, PUA location, PUA locationchange 226, data input to the PUA 228 and impact of the PUA with anotherobject, motion of the PUA, pressure applied to the PUA 230. As discussedherein above with respect to FIG. 3A and referring to FIG. 1B, themonitoring is performed by the sensor/detector 13 in the PUA 2, and as aresult of this monitoring, monitored data relating to the parametersmonitored is provided. In certain ones of these embodiments, the monitorstores one or more signatures, feature sets or other characteristic dataof the panelist assigned to the PUA (and thus the person who should beits sole user) to which the monitored data is compared to determine ifthe data match. This comparison provides an indication whether the PUAin fact is being carried and/or used by the correct user. If, forexample, the monitoring system monitors the sounds external to the PUA,the monitored data will include not only an indication that an externalsound was detected, but also data relating to the sound that wasdetected, such as analysis of the detected sound, the frequency of thedetected sound, voice identification data and/or other data relating tothe detected sound, from which a sound signature or feature set can beproduced for comparison against a stored signature or feature set toassess whether the PUA is in the possession of the correct user. Incertain embodiments, the monitored data is used to determine whether thePUA is being carried. Thus, for example, if the monitoring systemmonitors the location change of the PUA, the monitored data will includedata not only indicating a change in the PUA's location, it may beinferred that the monitor is in the possession of a user who is carryingit about.

Referring to FIG. 3B, the monitored data produced by monitoring one ormore of the above-mentioned parameters is used to provide identificationdata which is, in turn, used to identify the user of the PUA 251. Incertain embodiments, the identification data is provided by the PUAand/or the docking station, while in other embodiments, the monitoreddata is communicated from the PUA to the processor 5 via thecommunications and the processor 5 provides the identification databased on the monitored data. In certain embodiments, the identificationdata is provided by comparing the monitored data with pre-stored datarelating to at least one PUA user so as to determine the identity of thePUA user and/or to confirm that the PUA user is the specific usercorresponding to the pre-stored data. The pre-stored data may be basedon data relating to the PUA user obtained from the specific user inadvance, or may be based on previously collected monitored data. Byproviding the identification data relating to the identity of the user,the monitoring system is adapted to confirm that a specific person, andnot someone else, is carrying and/or using the PUA.

When the identification data is produced in 251, the monitoring systemdetermines whether the use of the PUA is in compliance with at least onepredetermined use criterion and/or the level of the user's compliance242. This determination 242 is made based on the identification dataidentifying the user. In some embodiments, in which the identificationdata indicates that the person carrying and/or using the PUA is thecorresponding, or correct, PUA user, the monitoring system determines in242 that the PUA user has complied with at least one predetermined usecriterion. The level of the user's compliance can be determined based onwhether or not the PUA was carried and/or used in accordance with thepredetermined criteria and based on whether or not identification dataindicates that the person carrying and/or using the PUA matches thecorresponding user for the PUA, as well as based on the frequency ofcompliant use indications. Thus, for example, a first level ofcompliance is determined if the identification data indicates that thePUA was carried by the user corresponding to the specific user for thePUA, a second level of compliance which is lower than the first level ofcompliance is determined if the identification data indicates that thePUA was carried by a user who does not correspond to the specific userof the PUA and a third level of compliance, which is lower than both thefirst and the second levels, is determined if the identification dataindicates that the PUA was not carried by any user. It is understoodthat these compliance levels are illustrative and that the number oflevels and how these levels are determined may vary.

As in FIG. 3A, in certain embodiments, the monitoring system provides areward to the user for complying with the predetermined criteria 244and/or sends a message to the user indicating at least one ofcompliance, level of compliance and the reward 246. In particular, afterthe user's determination of compliance and the level of compliance, incertain embodiments the monitoring system determines a reward to theuser of the PUA 244 and/or communicates a message to the user indicatingthe user's compliance, level of compliance and/or the reward to the user246. These actions are similar to those described above with respect toFIG. 3A, and also to 108 and 110 described above with respect to FIG. 2Aand to 206 and 208 described above with respect to FIG. 2B. Accordingly,a detailed description thereof is unnecessary.

In certain embodiments described herein, the methods and systems formonitoring use of a research device in accordance with at least onepredetermined use criterion comprise actively monitoring use of theresearch device by the user by communicating a message to the userrequesting a response and passively monitoring use of the researchdevice by the user by sensing at least one parameter indicating whetherthe research device is being used in accordance with the at least onepredetermined criterion. FIG. 4 illustrates the actions performed by themonitoring system in these embodiments where the research devicecomprises a PUA. In other embodiments, the monitoring system monitorsthe use of a research device that does not comprise a PUA.

As shown in FIG. 4, the monitoring system actively and passivelymonitors the use of the PUA. Active monitoring 260 of the PUA useincludes requesting an action by the user to show compliance with atleast one predetermined use criterion and, in particular, comprisescommunicating a request message to the user requesting a response to therequest message. Such active monitoring is similar to the actions 100,102 and 104 of the monitoring system described with respect to FIGS. 2Aand 2B herein above, and detailed descriptions thereof are unnecessary.

Unlike active monitoring 260, passive monitoring 262 does not requestany specific action to be performed by the user so as to indicatecompliance with the PUA use criteria, and comprises sensing or detectingone or more parameters that indicate whether the PUA is being used incompliance with at least one predetermined criterion. Referring to FIG.1B, the sensing or detecting is performed in the PUA 2 by thesensor/detector 13, and includes, but is not limited to, one or more ofsensing a biometric parameter of the user, detecting a presenceindication signal or a personal identification signal, sensing externalsounds, detecting location of the PUA, detecting location change of thePUA, detecting motion of the PUA, detecting data input, sensing pressureapplied to the PUA, detecting recharging, power capacity and/or dockingof the PUA and detecting impact of the PUA with another object. Thesepassive monitoring activities are similar to those described hereinabove with respect to FIGS. 3A and 3B, and therefore detaileddescription thereof is unnecessary.

Referring to FIG. 4, the monitoring system determines whether the use ofthe PUA is in compliance with at least one predetermined criterionand/or the level of the user's compliance 264 based on the active 260and passive 262 monitoring of the PUA use. In particular, the activemonitoring 260 and the passive monitoring 262 provide data which is usedto determine whether the PUA is being used in compliance with at leastone predetermined criteria and/or the level of the user's compliance264. As discussed above, the compliance and/or level of compliancedetermination indicates one or more of whether the PUA is being carriedand/or used, whether the PUA is charged, whether the PUA has beenrecharged and/or docked, whether the PUA is being carried and/or used bya specific user, whether the PUA is “on”, whether the PUA is workingproperly, whether the PUA is being carried and whether or not by aparticular user and whether the PUA 2 is capable of collecting, storingand/or communicating research data, or of cooperating with one or moreother devices to do so. In certain embodiments, the monitoring systemnotifies the user, after the compliance determination in 264, of theuser's compliance or non-compliance and/or the user's level ofcompliance with the predetermined criteria by communicating a message tothe user. In some embodiments, the monitoring system also determines areward to the user based on the user's compliance and/or level ofcompliance, and communicates to the user a message indicating thereward. These actions are described in more detail herein above withrespect to FIGS. 2A-3B, and detailed descriptions thereof are thereforeomitted. It is understood that, as in the embodiments of FIGS. 2A-3B,the determination of the reward and communication of a message to theuser indicating compliance, level of compliance and/or reward areoptional.

In certain embodiments, the PUA carries out passive monitoring toproduce passively monitored data, the monitoring system communicates arequest message to the PUA, the PUA automatically produces a responseincluding and/or based on the passively monitored data and communicatesthe response to the monitoring system and the monitoring systemdetermines whether the use of the PUA complies with at least onepredetermined use criterion based on the passively monitored data. Incertain ones of such embodiments, the PUA communicates its response at atime when the PUA is to be carried in accordance with a predeterminedschedule. In certain ones of such embodiments, the monitoring systemcommunicates the request at a time when the PUA is to be carried inaccordance with a predetermined schedule.

In certain embodiments, compliant use of a research device by a user ispromoted by producing compliance data for a plurality of different timesand/or time periods, indicating whether the research device is beingused in compliance with at least one predetermined use criterion,producing level data, representing a level of compliance by the user,and communicating a message to the user indicating a level of complianceof the user based on the level data. These embodiments are illustratedin FIG. 5 in connection with the use of a PUA, but it will beappreciated that these embodiments are also applicable where theresearch device does not comprise a PUA.

As shown in FIG. 5, the monitoring system determines whether use of thePUA is in compliance with at least one predetermined criterion at leastat a first time 270, i.e. at time T₁, (or for a selected time period)and thereafter determines whether used of the PUA is in compliance withthe at least one predetermined criterion at least at a second time 272,i.e. at time T₂ (or for a selected time period). These compliancedeterminations are based on at least one of the active monitoring andthe passive monitoring described herein above with respect to FIGS.2A-4. It is understood that the number of compliance determinations isnot limited to two and that the monitoring system can perform suchdeterminations of compliance at times T₁ through T_(n), where n is anypredetermined number, or for any desired number of time periods. Thesedeterminations are performed at pre-selected time intervals, atpre-selected times of the day and/or at random times. In certainembodiments the monitoring system sends messages according to a scheduleto the PUA requesting data from which compliance can be assessed. Incertain ones of such embodiments the schedule is produced using apseudorandom sequence of times and dates. In certain ones of suchembodiments, the schedule is produced to ensure that messages are sentduring predetermined time periods during the day, such as duringselected dayparts.

The plurality of compliance determinations 270, 272 by the monitoringsystem provide compliance data which indicates whether the PUA is beingused in accordance with the at least one predetermined use criterion.Referring now to FIG. 1B, the compliance data is provided by the PUAand/or by the processor 5 of the monitoring system 1.

Referring back to FIG. 5, the monitoring system determines 274 the levelof compliance by the user based on the compliance data produced in theplurality of compliance determinations 270 and 272. The determination ofthe user's level of compliance is performed by the PUA 2 or theprocessor 5 of the monitoring system 1 of FIG. 1B, using the compliancedata to determine to what extent the user has complied with at least onepredetermined use criterion. As a result of the level of compliancedetermination, level data indicating the level of compliance by the useris provided.

After the level of the user's compliance is determined, the monitoringsystem communicates a message to the user indicating the level ofcompliance 276. The message to the user is generated in the PUA 2 or bythe processor 5 of the system based on the level data produced by themonitoring system in 274. In certain embodiments, where the message isgenerated by the processor 5, the message is communicated to the userthrough communications 7. As mentioned above, the message can be in theform of a text message, a voice mail, a voice message, an e-mail, a webpage, a telephone call, an image, or any other indication of the levelof compliance to the user. The message can be communicated to the userusing the output of the PUA such as, for example, by displaying themessage on a display screen thereof or by playing the message using aspeaker or earphone thereof. Alternatively, the message can becommunicated to the user using any other suitable device.

Communication of a message to the user indicating compliance with theuse requirements and/or the user's level of compliance promotes correctuse of the PUA by keeping the user informed as to whether or not his orher use is in compliance with the use requirements. In this way, theuser can compare his or her level of compliance from one time to anotherand try to improve the level of compliance over time.

In certain embodiments, the monitoring system promotes use of researchdevices by a plurality of users in compliance with at least onepredetermined use criterion by producing level data representingrelative compliance levels of each of a plurality of research deviceusers and communicating a message to each of the plurality of usersindicating the user's compliance relative to others of the plurality ofresearch device users. In certain ones of such embodiments, the leveldata comprises comparative compliance rank data that indicates theuser's compliance rank or level compared with the compliance rank orlevel of the other research device users of the plurality of users. Thedetermination of each user's comparative compliance rank or level isperformed by the processor 5 of the monitoring system 1 of FIG. 1B whichprocesses data relating to compliance and/or level of compliance andprovides level data indicating the selected user's relative compliancelevel in comparison with the compliance level of other research deviceusers.

In certain embodiments, the level data represents the user's compliancerank or level relative to the compliance ranks or levels of all otherresearch device users monitored by the monitoring system. In certainother embodiments, the research device users may be divided into aplurality of user groups, with each user belonging to at least one usergroup. Each user group is determined based on common users'characteristics such as age, sex, income, profession, location,preferences and/or interests, family relationships, and othercharacteristics. In such embodiments, the level data produced by themonitoring system represents the user's compliance rank or levelcompared with the compliance ranks or levels of other users within thesame group. Thus, for example, research device users can be divided intouser groups that include members of the same household, and the leveldata provided by the monitoring system indicates the user's relativelevel of compliance related to the levels of compliance of other usersin the same household.

Based on the level data produced by the monitoring system, a message isgenerated and communicated to each user. The message to each userindicates the user's compliance level relative to others of theplurality of the research device users. The message may be in the formof a text message, a voicemail, a voice message, an image, a telephonecall, an e-mail, a web page, a paper message or any other suitablemessage that is capable of informing the user of the user's relativecompliance. In the monitoring system of FIG. 1B, the message isgenerated by the processor 5 and can be communicated to each user viathe communication 7. The message can be communicated either directly tothe user, such as by a telephone call, text message, e-mail or the like,to the research device of the user or to any other suitable device or byany other suitable means. The communication of the message to each userindicating the user's relative compliance promotes competition among theusers, and among the members of the user group, e.g. of the samehousehold, where the research device users are divided into a pluralityof groups as discussed above. This, in turn, promotes use of theresearch devices in compliance with the predetermined use requirementsby each of the users.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a cellular telephone 20 modified to carryout a research operation. The cellular telephone 20 comprises aprocessor 30 that is operative to exercise overall control and toprocess audio and other data for transmission or reception andcommunications 40 coupled to the processor 30 and operative under thecontrol of processor 30 to perform those functions required forestablishing and maintaining a two-way wireless communication link witha respective cell of a cellular telephone network. In certainembodiments, processor 30 also is operative to execute applicationsancillary or unrelated to the conduct of cellular telephonecommunications, such as applications serving to download audio and/orvideo data to be reproduced by cellular telephone 20, e-mail clients andapplications enabling the user to play games using the cellulartelephone 20. In certain embodiments, processor 30 comprises two or moreprocessing devices, such as a first processing device (such as a digitalsignal processor) that processes audio, and a second processing devicethat exercises overall control over operation of the cellular telephone20. In certain embodiments, processor 30 employs a single processingdevice. In certain embodiments, some or all of the functions ofprocessor 30 are implemented by hardwired circuitry.

Cellular telephone 20 further comprises storage 50 coupled withprocessor 30 and operative to store data as needed. In certainembodiments, storage 50 comprises a single storage device, while inothers it comprises multiple storage devices. In certain embodiments, asingle device implements certain functions of both processor 30 andstorage 50.

In addition, cellular telephone 20 comprises a microphone 60 coupledwith processor 30 to transduce the user's voice to an electrical signalwhich it supplies to processor 30 for encoding, and a speaker and/orearphone 70 coupled with processor 30 to convert received audio fromprocessor 30 to an acoustic output to be heard by the user. Cellulartelephone 20 also includes a user input 80 coupled with processor 30,such as a keypad, to enter telephone numbers and other control data, aswell as a display 90 coupled with processor 30 to provide data visuallyto the user under the control of processor 30.

In certain embodiments, the cellular telephone 20 provides additionalfunctions and/or comprises additional elements. In certain ones of suchembodiments, the cellular telephone 20 provides e-mail, text messagingand/or web access through its wireless communications capabilities,providing access to media and other content. For example, Internetaccess by the cellular telephone 20 enables access to video and/or audiocontent that can be reproduced by the cellular telephone for the user,such as songs, video on demand, video clips and streaming media. Incertain embodiments, storage 50 stores software providing audio and/orvideo downloading and reproducing functionality, such as iPod® software,enabling the user to reproduce audio and/or video content downloadedfrom a source, such as a personal computer via communications 40 orthrough Internet access via communications 40.

To enable cellular telephone 20 to gather research data, namely, dataindicating exposure to audio such as programs, music and advertisements,research software is installed in storage 50 to control processor 30 togather such data and communicate it via communications 40 to a researchorganization. The research software in certain embodiments also controlsprocessor 30 to store the data for subsequent communication.

In certain embodiments, the research software controls the processor 30to decode ancillary codes in the transduced audio from microphone 60using one or more of the known techniques described hereinabove, andthen to store and/or communicate the decoded data for use as researchdata indicating encoded audio to which the user was exposed. In certainembodiments, the research software controls the processor 30 to extracta signature from the transduced audio from microphone 60 using one ormore of the known techniques identified hereinabove, and then to storeand/or communicate the extracted signature data for use as research datato be matched with reference signatures representing known audio todetect the audio to which the user was exposed. In certain embodiments,the research software both decodes ancillary codes in the transducedaudio and extracts signatures therefrom for identifying the audio towhich the user was exposed. In certain embodiments, the researchsoftware controls the processor 30 to store samples of the transducedaudio, either in compressed or uncompressed form for subsequentprocessing either to decode ancillary codes therein or to extractsignatures therefrom. In certain ones of these embodiments, thecompressed or uncompressed audio is communicated to a remote processorfor decoding and/or signature extraction.

Where the cellular telephone 20 possesses functionality to downloadand/or reproduce presentation data, in certain embodiments, researchdata concerning the usage and/or exposure to such presentation data aswell as audio data received acoustically by microphone 60, is gatheredby cellular telephone 20 in accordance with the technique illustrated bythe functional block diagram of FIG. 6A. Storage 50 of FIG. 6 implementsan audio buffer 54 for audio data gathered with the use of microphone60. In certain ones of these embodiments storage 50 implements a buffer56 for presentation data downloaded and/or reproduced by cellulartelephone 20 to which the user is exposed via speaker and/or earphone 70or display 90, or by means of a device coupled with cellular telephone20 to receive the data therefrom to present it to a user. In some ofsuch embodiments, the reproduced data is obtained from downloaded-data,such as songs, web pages or audio/video data (e.g., movies, televisionprograms, video clips). In some of such embodiments, the reproduced datais provided from a device such as a broadcast or satellite radioreceiver of the cellular telephone 20 (not shown for purposes ofsimplicity and clarity). In certain ones of these embodiments storage 50implements a buffer 56 for metadata of presentation data reproduced bycellular telephone 20 to which the user is exposed via speaker and/orearphone 70 or display 90, or by means of a device coupled with cellulartelephone 20 to receive the data therefrom to present it to a user. Suchmetadata can be, for example, a URL from which the presentation data wasobtained, channel tuning data, program identification data, anidentification of a prerecorded file from which the data was reproduced,or any data that identifies and/or characterizes the presentation data,or a source thereof. Where buffer 56 stores audio data, buffers 54 and56 store their audio data (either in the time domain or the frequencydomain) independently of one another. Where buffer 56 stores metadata ofaudio data, buffer 54 stores its audio data (either in the time domainor the frequency domain) and buffer 56 stores its metadata, eachindependently of the other.

Processor 30 separately produces research data 58 from the contents ofeach of buffers 54 and 56 which it stores in storage 50. In certain onesof these embodiments, one or both of buffers 54 and 56 is/areimplemented as circular buffers storing a predetermined amount of audiodata representing a most recent time interval thereof as received bymicrophone 60 and/or reproduced by speaker and/or earphone 70, ordownloaded by cellular telephone 20 for reproduction by a differentdevice coupled with cellular telephone 20. Processor 30 extractssignatures and/or decodes ancillary codes in the buffered audio data toproduce research data. Where metadata is received in buffer 56, incertain embodiments the metadata is used, in whole or in part, asresearch data 58, or processed to produce research data 58. The researchdata is thus gathered representing exposure and/or usage of audio databy the user where audio data is received in acoustic form by thecellular telephone 20 and where presentation data is received innon-acoustic form (for example, as a cellular telephone communication,as an electrical signal via a cable from a personal computer or otherdevice, as a broadcast or satellite signal or otherwise).

In certain embodiments, the cellular telephone 20 is provided with aresearch data source 96 coupled by a wired or wireless coupling withprocessor 30 for use in gathering further or alternative research datato be communicated to a research organization. In certain ones of theseembodiments, the research data source 96 comprises a location dataproducing device or function providing data indicating a location of thecellular telephone 20. Various devices appropriate for use as source 96include a satellite location signal receiver, a terrestrial locationsignal receiver, a wireless networking device that receives locationdata from a network, an inertial location monitoring device and alocation data producing service provided by a cellular telephone serviceprovider. In certain embodiments, research data source 96 comprises adevice or function for monitoring exposure to print media, fordetermining whether the user is at home or out of home, for monitoringexposure to products, exposure to displays (such as outdooradvertising), presence within or near commercial establishments, or forgathering research data (such as consumer attitude, preference oropinion data) through the administration of a survey to the user of thecellular telephone 20. In certain embodiments, research data source 96comprises one or more devices for receiving, sensing or detecting datauseful in implementing one or more of the foregoing functions, otherresearch data gathering functions and/or for producing data ancillary tofunctions of gathering, storing and/or communicating research data, suchas data indicating whether the panelist has complied with predeterminedrules governing the activity or an extent of such compliance. Suchdevices include, but are not limited to, motion detectors,accelerometers, temperature detectors, proximity detectors, satellitepositioning signal receivers, video cameras, image scanners usingvisible or infra-red light or other radiant energy, chemical sensors,digital writing tablets, blood flow sensors, pulse oximeters, pulsemonitors, RFID readers, RF receivers, wireless networking transceivers,wireless device coupling transceivers, pressure detectors, deformationdetectors, electric field sensors, magnetic field sensors, opticalsensors, electrodes (such as EEG and/or EKG electrodes), audio sensors,and the like. In certain embodiments, such devices are supplied incellular telephones to provide a user-beneficial function, so that theircapabilities can also be employed to gather research data and/or togather data indicating whether the panelist has complied withpredetermined use criteria. Such devices include but are not limited to,microphones, video cameras and satellite positioning signal receivers.

In certain embodiments dedicated devices are included in or with thecellular telephone 20 to gather data for assessing compliance, such assensor/detector 13 described above in connection with FIGS. 1B, 3A and3B. In certain ones of such embodiments, sensor/detector 13 comprises adigital writing tablet that is used to input a digital handwrittensignature from the user to assess whether the cellular telephone 20 isbeing carried by the correct person. In accordance with knownhandwriting identification techniques, storage 50 stores signaturerecognition software to control processor 30 to compare the currentuser's signature input by means of the digital writing tablet against astored template of the correct user's handwritten signature to determineif there is a match. Based on the results of the matching process, datais produced indicating whether the current user's signature matches thesignature represented by the stored template to assess whether thecurrent user of the cellular telephone 20 is the same as the panelistwho has agreed to carry and use cellular telephone 20 to gather researchdata. The template of the panelist's signature is produced in a trainingmode of the signature recognition software, in which the panelist inputsone or more signatures using the digital writing tablet from which thetemplate is produced by processor 30 and then stored in storage 50. Incertain ones of such embodiments, the cellular telephone 20 includes adigital writing tablet to enable a user-beneficial function, such asnote taking and it is then unnecessary to provide a dedicated digitalwriting tablet as the sensor/detector 13.

In certain ones of such embodiments, a voiceprint recognition techniqueis used to assess whether the cellular telephone 20 is being carried bythe correct person. In accordance with known voiceprint recognitiontechniques, storage 50 stores voice recognition software to controlprocessor 30 to compare the current user's voice input by means of themicrophone 60 against a stored voiceprint of the correct user's voice todetermine if there is a match. Based on the results of the matchingprocess, data is produced indicating whether the current user's voicematches the voice represented by the stored voiceprint to assess whetherthe current user of the cellular telephone 20 is the same as thepanelist who has agreed to carry and use cellular telephone 20 to gatherresearch data. The voiceprint of the panelist's voice is produced in atraining mode of the voice recognition software, in which the panelistspeaks into microphone 20 to produce data from which the voiceprint isproduced by processor 30 and then stored in storage 50. Various ones ofsuch embodiments extract the user's voiceprint under differentconditions. In one such embodiment, the user's voiceprint is extractedwhen the user places a voice call using the cellular telephone inresponse to a request message from a monitoring system. In other suchembodiments, the processor 30 extracts voiceprints continuously from theoutput of microphone 60, or at predetermined times or intervals, or whena telephone call is made using cellular telephone 20 or when the outputfrom microphone 60 indicates that someone may be speaking into it(indicated, for example by the magnitude of the output, and/or its timeand/or frequency characteristics). The extracted voiceprints arecompared to the stored voiceprint to assess whether the correct personis using the cellular telephone 20.

In certain ones of such embodiments, sensor/detector 13 comprises animagining device, such as a video camera, or other radiant energydetector, such as a line scanner implemented by means of a CCD or anarray of photodiodes, that is used to input data representing an imageor line scan of a physical feature of the user, such as an iris, aretina, an image of all or portion of the user's face, finger, palm,hand or ear to assess whether the cellular telephone 20 is being carriedby the correct person. In the case of an iris or retinal image, theinput data is processed to extract an iris or retinal pattern code. Afacial image is processed to extract data unique to the user such as asignature or feature set representing facial bone structure. An image ofa finger, palm or hand is processed to extract a fingerprint or palmprint, or other characteristic data such as hand geometry or tissuevascular structure. In accordance with known pattern recognitiontechniques, storage 50 stores pattern recognition software to controlprocessor 30 to compare the current user's iris or retinal pattern code,facial signature or feature set or other characteristic data input bymeans of the sensor/detector 13 against a stored pattern code,signature, feature set or other characteristic data of the correct user,as the case may be, to determine if there is a match. Suchcharacteristic data may be stored in storage 50 or in a storage of aseparate device, system or processing facility. Based on the results ofthe matching process, data is produced by processor 30 operating undercontrol of the pattern recognition software to assess whether thecurrent user of the cellular telephone 20 is the same as the panelistwho has agreed to carry and use cellular telephone 20 to gather researchdata. The pattern code, signature, feature set or other characteristicdata of the correct user is produced in a training mode of the patternrecognition software, in which the appropriate physical feature of thepanelist is imaged or scanned one or more times using thesensor/detector 13 from which the desired data is produced by processor30 and then stored in storage 50. In certain embodiments the physicalfeature concerned is scanned or imaged at a plurality of differentorientations to produce the desired data. In certain ones of theforegoing embodiments, the cellular telephone 20 includes a digitalcamera to enable a user-beneficial function, such as digital photographyor video imaging and it is then unnecessary to provide a dedicatedimaging device or scanner as the sensor/detector 13.

In certain ones of such embodiments where user input 80 comprises one ormore keys, a keyboard dynamics technique is used to assess whether thecellular telephone 20 is being used by the correct person. In accordancewith known keyboard dynamics techniques, storage 50 stores keystrokemonitoring software to control processor 30 to collect characteristickeystroke parameters, such as data indicating how long the user holdsdown the keys of input 80, the delay between one keystroke and the next(known as “latency”), and frequency of using of special keys, such as adelete key. Still other parameters, such as typing speed and the mannerin which the user employs key combinations (such as keyboard shortcuts),may be monitored by processor 30. These parameters are processed in aknown manner to produce a feature set characterizing the user's keyusage style which is then compared against a stored feature setrepresenting the style of the correct user. Based on the results of thiscomparison, data is produced indicating whether the current user's keyusage style matches that of the correct user as represented by thestored feature set to assess whether the current user of the cellulartelephone 20 is the same as the panelist who has agreed to carry and usecellular telephone 20 to gather research data. The feature setrepresenting the usage style of the panelist is produced in a trainingmode of the software, in which the panelist makes use of the key or keysof user input 80 to produce data from which the feature set is producedby processor 30 and then stored in storage 50.

In certain ones of such embodiments, sensor/detector 13 comprises amotion sensitive device, such as an accelerometer, that produces datarelated to motion of the cellular telephone 20. This data is used toproduce a feature set characterizing motion of the cellular telephone20, and thus the gait of the person carrying the cellular telephone. Inaccordance with known gait identification techniques, storage 50 storespattern recognition software to control processor 30 to compare thecurrent user's gait feature set against a stored reference feature setrepresenting the gait of the correct user to determine if there is amatch. Based on the results of the matching process, data is producedindicating whether the current user's gait matches the gait representedby the stored feature set to assess whether the current user of thecellular telephone 20 is the same as the panelist who has agreed tocarry and use cellular telephone 20 to gather research data. The featureset of the panelist's gait is produced in a training mode of the patternrecognition software, in which the panelist walks about carrying thecellular telephone 20 while the sensor/detector 13 produces data fromwhich processor 30 produces a reference feature set which it stores instorage 50. In certain ones of such embodiments, the cellular telephone20 includes an accelerometer as an input device to enable auser-beneficial function, such as a gaming input or scrolling commandinput, and it is then unnecessary to provide a dedicated accelerometeras the sensor/detector 13.

In certain ones of such embodiments, multiple devices and patternrecognition techniques are employed to produce a more accurate andreliable identification of the user than is possible using only one suchpattern recognition technique. In certain embodiments, one or more ofsuch pattern recognition techniques or other passive data gatheringtechnique is employed to assess when cellular telephone 20 possibly isnot in the possession of the correct user. Such detection may be basedon an amount by which a monitored feature set differs from a storedfeature set representing a characteristic of the correct user asdetermined by processor 30. When the processor 30 produces dataindicating that the cellular telephone 20 might not be in the possessionof the correct user, in certain embodiments either processor 30 controlsa speaker, earphone or visual display of the cellular telephone 20 topresent a message to the user requesting a response from which theuser's identity as the correct user or as a different person may bedetermined, or processor 30 sends a message via communications 40 to amonitoring system indicating that such a message should be presented tothe user. In the latter case, the monitoring system responds to suchmessage from the processor 30 to send a message to the cellulartelephone 20 for presentation to the user to request an appropriateresponse from the user from which the user's identity as the correctuser or someone else may be determined, either by processor 30 or by themonitoring system. The user's response to such message is used todetermine whether the actual user is the correct user.

In certain embodiments, sensor/detector 13 comprises a deviceappropriate for receiving a presence indication signal or a personalidentification signal from signal emitter 14 worn or carried by the useror implanted in the user. In such embodiments, sensor/detector 13comprises an appropriate one of an RF receiver, a microphone, an opticalsensor, an inductive pickup, a capacitive pickup, a chemical sensor or aconductive connection.

Although various embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed with reference to a particular arrangement of parts, featuresand the like, these are not intended to exhaust all possiblearrangements or features, and indeed many other embodiments,modifications and variations will be ascertainable to those of skill inthe art.

1. A method of promoting use of portable research devices by a pluralityof portable research device users in compliance with at least onepredetermined use criterion comprises producing level data representingrelative compliance levels of each of a plurality of portable researchdevice users; and communicating a message to each of the plurality ofusers indicating the user's compliance relative to others of theplurality of portable research device users.
 2. A system for promotinguse of portable research devices by a plurality of portable researchdevice users in compliance with at least one predetermined use criterioncomprises a processor operative to produce level data representingrelative compliance levels of each of a plurality of portable researchdevice users; and communications coupled with the processor to receivethe level data and operative to communicate a message to each of theplurality of users indicating the user's compliance relative to othersof the plurality of portable research device users based on the leveldata.
 3. A method of monitoring use by a user of a portable researchdevice in accordance with at least one predetermined use criterioncomprises communicating a request message to the portable researchdevice, the request message requesting a response from the user of theportable research device; receiving a response message communicated fromthe portable research device in response to the request message; andproducing compliance data indicating that the user has partiallycomplied with the predetermined use criterion.
 4. A system formonitoring use by a user of a portable research device in accordancewith at least one predetermined use criterion comprises communicationsoperative to communicate a request message to the portable researchdevice, the request message requesting a response from the user of theportable research device; the communications being operative to receivea response message communicated from the portable research device inresponse to the request message; and a processor coupled with thecommunications to receive the response message and to produce compliancedata indicating that the user has partially complied with thepredetermined use criterion.
 5. A method of promoting use of a portableresearch device by a user in compliance with at least one predetermineduse criterion comprises producing compliance data for a plurality ofdifferent times indicating whether the portable research device is beingused in compliance with the at least one predetermined use criterion;producing level data representing a level of compliance by the userbased on the compliance data; and communicating a message to the userindicating a level of compliance of the user based on the level data. 6.A system for promoting use of a portable research device by a user incompliance with at least one predetermined use criterion comprises aprocessor operative to produce compliance data for a plurality ofdifferent times indicating whether the portable research device is beingused in compliance with the at least one predetermined use criterion andto produce level data representing a level of compliance by the userbased on the compliance data; and communications operative tocommunicate a message to the user indicating a level of compliance ofthe user based on the level data.